13/08/2025
𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗹
By the time this comes out, much would have already been written about the collision, Monday morning, of two Chinese ships near Scarborough Shoal, known locally as Bajo de Masinloc.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, said the two Chinese vessels – a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warship and a Chinese Coast Guard patrol boat – had, moments prior, engaged in “aggressive maneuvers” against the BRP Suluan, a Parola class vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard.
If you’re interested in knowing what the Japan-made Parola class coast guard ship looks like, one might still be docked off the Plaza sa Katawhan, a stone’s throw away from the Cebu City Hall. In fact, the BRP Suluan itself – 44.5 meters long and 8.5 meters at the beam – was docked there last April.
Apparently, the BRP Suluan got sent to the West Philippine Sea for a humanitarian mission with the Philippine Navy’s BRP Teresa Magbanua, to es**rt boats delivering supplies and fuel to fisherfolk who have been at the receiving end of harassment from PLA Navy ships, Chinese Coast Guard vessels, boats belonging to the Chinese Maritime Militia, and other Chinese ‘Vessels of Interest’.
China continues to claim the maritime territory as theirs despite the 2016 ruling of an arbitral tribunal, constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS), that rejected China’s claim as having no legal basis and affirmed the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its Exclusive Economic Zone in the West Philippine Sea.
BRP Suluan, according to Commodore Tarriela, was being chased by the Chinese Coast Guard patrol boat (bow number 3104), with the latter’s cannon out shooting a high-velocity stream of water in apparent attempt to drive BRP Suluan into the sights of the PLA Navy warship (bow number 164), in some sort of coordinated pincher move.
TV journalist Raffy Tima was onboard BRP Suluan at that time and, in a Facebook post Monday evening, said the PLA Navy vessel 164 had tried ramming them too. He caught it all on video.
Smaller and more agile, and with maximum speeds reaching 25 knots, the BRP Suluan sneaked past the pincher and left the Chinese Coast Guard patrol boat – 80 meters from bow to stern and 11 meters at the beam according to marinetraffic.com – crashing into the bow of the warship that was also moving at full steam.
According to reports, the Chinese Coast Guard patrol boat suffered massive damage to its forecastle – the ship’s nose and maybe even its jawline if ships had faces – and left it unseaworthy.
BRP Teresa Magbanua, larger and with more facilities, radioed the crippled Chinese ship to offer maritime assistance for anybody who might be injured or thrown overboard, but only got silence.
As of this writing, major Chinese news and information platforms like Xinhua, CCTV, and the Global Times – usually quick to frame maritime incidents as defensive responses to “foreign provocations” – have likewise gone silent about the incident.
Even the Chinese embassy in Manila, often described as a mouthpiece for Beijing’s position on West Philippine Sea affairs, has not issued a statement.
Singapore-based channelnewsasia.com ran a report about the incident from the Philippine Coast Guard’s perspective, and then tried to balance it with an interview with a certain Gan Yu, purportedly a Chinese Coast Guard spokesperson.
Spokesperson Gan, though, only confirmed that a confrontation indeed took place. He said nothing of the collision.
The optics, for now, may be difficult to spin for Beijing, who has always tried to project its military force as paragons of discipline and strategic control. A public admission of the incident could invite criticism, not just internationally but within China itself, where national pride in the PLA Navy runs deep.
In the coming days, however, when their effort to contain the narrative to avoid the embarrassment of admitting their assets got bested by a Bapor ng Republika ng Pilipinas – named after a lighthouse or parola in sleepy barangay Suluan in Guiuan, Eastern Samar – gains ground, we can expect the usual production-level propaganda from Beijing.
The certainty of this notwithstanding, let me be naïve and wish for genuine dialogue that will foster a de-escalation of tensions in the disputed area and allow all parties to move forward in the spirit of conflict transformation.
Our issue last Friday, August 8, tackled how the presence and continuing buildup of Chinese vessels in Philippine waters was like having ships on foul berth, and how this carries profound security, legal and economic consequences for all sides.
The incident on Monday morning proved those words prophetic.
By the time this comes out, much would have already been written about the collision, Monday morning, Aug. 11, 2025, of two Chinese ships near Scarborough Shoal
